Senate lawmakers will question U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on Friday at a last-minute hearing aimed at responding to claims of late mail delivery and other service problems that could jeopardize the delivery of mail-in ballots in November.
DeJoy was summoned by Sen. Ron Johnson, a Republican and chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which oversees the post office.
The hearing, which will take place at 9 a.m. by video conference, will come days ahead of a similar hearing planned in the House, where Democrats control the gavel and are eager to grill DeJoy about claims that mail sorting machines have been removed, overtime slashed, and other policies put in place to hinder mail delivery and mail-in balloting.
Johnson announced the Senate panel would examine “the finances and operations of the United States Postal Service during COVID-19 and upcoming elections.”
“The Postal Service has had significant financial problems for years, and it is important for everyone to fully understand its current fiscal challenges,” Johnson said in a statement to the Washington Examiner Tuesday. “The postmaster general should have an opportunity to describe those realities before going before a hostile House committee determined to conduct a show trial.”
President Trump appointed DeJoy to reform the financially troubled post office. The USPS has lost nearly $70 billion over roughly a decade and is on an unsustainable financial path, a Government Accountability Office report recently determined.
Democrats believe DeJoy, a prominent GOP donor, is working with Trump to hurt the Postal Service ahead of the November election, which will take place by mail-in balloting in many states.
The post office recently warned 46 states it could not ensure ballots will be postmarked on time to be counted by Nov. 3 unless they are sent early. Voters in states that issue mail-in ballots closest to the election are most at risk of delayed delivery, post office officials said.
Trump opposes mass mail-in balloting, arguing it will contribute to fraud. Several primaries have encountered significant problems counting mail-in ballots this summer.
